Thomas McCarthy

Background

About Thomas McCarthy

Thomas J. McCarthy, MLA, ASLA Tom has been committed to providing quality accessible recreation experiences in the outdoors for more than twenty years. Prior to his concentrating on the needs of people with disabilities to access outdoor recreation, Tom began his affiliation with state parks through the Massachusetts Department Environmental Management as a consulting Landscape Architect in the late 1980's. He developed a broad overview of public outdoor recreation and the importance of design to create an affinity between the natural and built environments. In 1995, his creation of the Universal Access Program reflected the broader scope of outdoor recreation needs for people with disabilities in Massachusetts State and Urban Parks through the combination of Universal Design, specialized programming and the inclusion and strategic placement of adaptive recreation equipment. Tom has consulted on projects and presented nationally and internationally on the importance of planning for the inclusion of adaptive technologies and equipment along with assistive programming for outdoor recreation activities when designing outdoor recreation facilities and large scale landscapes. His work in the blending of site design and programmatic accessibility strategies has made numerous state parks and recreation facilities accessible to people with disabilities at a level that goes far beyond meeting current standards.